This course is a survey of psychological
perspectives on religious experience. We will examine the psychological
research concerning religion and human development, mystical experience,
conversion, new religious movements (cults), and mental health. Throughout the
course, we will hear from several guest speakers about their diverse personal
religious experiences. At the conclusion of the semester, students will
understand the major research trends regarding religious experience,
conversion, personality and religion, and religious behavior, and the theories
on which the research is based. These objectives will be assessed by
examinations, in-class activities, discussions, student presentations, and
written projects.

Grades will be based on the following
exams and projects. More details on each
of these will be given in class.

Exams(worth 55% of course
grade)

Three exams will be given during the
semester, together comprising 55% of the course grade. The first two exams will
include a combination of item types, such as multiple choice, short-answer, and
essay items. The final exam will be a take-home essay exam focusing on the
chapter that you selected from Stone’s text. It is essential that students make
every effort to take exams on the scheduled date. If you are on a university
athletic team, are participating in a religious observance, or miss an exam for
some other reason recognized by GSU, you must alert me to this conflict prior to the event in order to take the
exam at an alternative time. If you do not discuss this with me prior to the exam, you will need to take
the exam during the make-up exam date listed on the schedule. Likewise, if you
are ill, mourning the death of a loved one, or miss an exam for any other reason, plan to take the exam
during the make-up exam date shown on the schedule.Note that make-up exams may use a different format than regularly
scheduled exams.

Project(worth 20% of course
grade)

A brief (5-6 page) research paper on a
subject relevant to psychology of religion will be worth 20% of your course
grade. Alternatively, after approval from me, students may substitute an oral
presentation for a written paper. Students who opt for an oral presentation
will host a 10 – 15 minute presentation on their project to the class, and
discuss the outcome of the project with me privately afterwards.

The project should summarize the results
of research relevant to the class, or provide an illustration of a theory
discussed in class or in our text. The focus of the paper should be on
psychological research and theory, but you may illustrate points with personal
interviews. If you opt to include interviews, you must submit a written request outlining the kinds of questions you
will discuss and the people you expect to interview. Do not begin any interviews before submitting your request.

Although the project is brief, it is
weighted 20% of your grade. Use this project to illustrate your ability to
synthesize and integrate material. Think of it as an entry in an encyclopedia,
in which your task is to represent a broad body of knowledge succinctly and
with clarity. This isn’t as easy as it might seem. Einstein recognized this
when he told a correspondent “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did
not have enough time.” With some effort, though, you will find the finished
product to be very satisfying.

If you would like to conduct an
alternative type of project, discuss it with me before the “Project Idea Due”
date on the schedule. I am open to alternative projects that help us accomplish
our objectives for the class, but which do not involve papers or presentations.
Regardless of the form your project takes, I must have a brief written summary
of your intended project by the date listed on the schedule.

Personal
Reflection Paper(worth 15% of course grade)

For the personal reflection paper you
will describe your views regarding psychology and religion. In this paper, you
will describe how these two fields of inquiry have affected you personally, and
how they relate to each other. Be aware that in order to complete this paper,
you should have developed solid conceptualizations of (a) psychology, (b) your
own religious beliefs, whatever they may be, and (c) how the two domains affect
one another. This will be of primary importance for grading purposes.

The focus of the second paper is
self-exploration. I will grade papers based on the evidence students provide
that they have seriously and strenuously dealt with the subject. These are
personal and important questions for which there is no single “right” answer,
and it is not my intent to impose such an answer on students. It is, however,
most important that students in this class grapple with the issues surrounding
the thoughtful engagement of science and religion.

The personal reflection paper is due in
two stages, shown on the schedule. By writing it in two parts, you will be able
to reflect on how your ideas may have changed over the semester. Each part of
the paper will be 3-5 pages in length. Papers will be typed, double-spaced, in
a manner consistent with the APA style guide. More guidelines for the papers
will be given during the second week of the course. Be aware that the due dates, shown on the schedule, are the last
possible dates to submit the assignment.I welcome papers before this due date. I DO NOT accept late papers for
any reason.I strongly recommend that
you do not procrastinate.

Participation (worth 10% of course grade)

In this class we will learn from each
other, as well as from our readings. Of course, we can’t learn from someone who
isn’t here and contributing to the class. One-half of your participation grade
will be gauged by attendance and by respectful contributions to class
discussions. The other half of your participation grade will consist of your
class summary of one of the chapters in Stone’s book of readings on failed
prophecy. You, and possibly a partner, depending on enrollment, will summarize
for the class a chapter in Stone’s book. Your summary will help us begin a
discussion of that material, and your preparation (by thinking of questions and
issues relevant to the chapter) will facilitate your preparation.

Grades

The GSU Catalog describes undergraduate
grades in the following terms:

The “A”
grade may be interpreted to mean that the instructor recognized exceptional
capacities and exceptional performance.

The
grade of “B” signifies that the student has, for any combination of reasons,
demonstrated a significantly more effective command of the material than is
generally expected in the course.

The
“C” grade is the instructor’s certification that the student has demonstrated
the required mastery of the material.

The
student is graded “D” when his/her grasp of the course is minimal.

The
“F” grade indicates failure to master the essentials and the necessity for
repeating before credit may be allowed.

Course grades will be calculated by the
weighted sum of your exams, project, reflection paper, and participation
points. Grades are assigned according to the schedule below.

A
= 90 – 100

B
= 80 – 89.9

C
= 70 – 79.9

D
= 60 – 69.9

F
=0 – 59.9

Use this space to record your scores:

________Exam 1

________Exam 2

________Final Exam

________Project

________Paper(Part 1 ____; Part 2 ____)

________Participation

Other Course Policies

Accommodations

If you have a documented learning
disability or some other special need that requires accommodation of some type,
be sure to discuss it with me before a problem arises.

Policy
on Honesty

I have found that students sometimes do
not understand what plagiarism means.If you have a question about plagiarism, ask me. This is one area
where it is especially true that there is no such thing as a stupid question!
The following excerpt from the Student Conduct Code summarizes important
guidelines that you are expected to follow.

[I]f a student writes while looking
at a source or while looking at notes taken from a source, a [citation to that
source] should be given.Whenever any
idea is taken from a specific work, even when the student writes the idea
entirely in his [or her] own words, there must be a [citation] giving credit to
the author responsible for the idea....The student is entirely responsible for knowing and following the
principles of paraphrasing.The student
should never retain a sentence pattern and substitute synonyms for the original
words.The student should never retain
the original words and alter the sentence pattern.

In other words, academic dishonesty
includes giving or receiving assistance on an exam, unauthorized use of notes
or books during an exam, falsifying information on an assignment or project, or
claiming credit for an idea or statement that belongs to someone else. Academic
dishonesty may result in an "F" for the course, and the student may
be referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs. If you have questions about
whether or not a specific act would be considered dishonest, please read
the student conduct code and then discuss the matter with me!

Classroom
Conduct

In this course we will examine a large
amount of material in a fairly short time frame.Many students feel intimidated by the amount of material. As I
outline in the section on study habits, it is best to read daily before class,
and to follow class by rereading the material.You will do better if you keep up than if you procrastinate. If you have
difficulty reading and studying many pages daily, I recommend that you (a)
consider enrolling in a different course and (b) contact the Learning Resource
Center, located in the library, for help.

I expect active participation in class.
Come prepared every day to answer questions based on the previous day’s lecture
and on the readings for the class.We
will have activities, view videotapes, and do other activities that are
designed to help you learn procedures, concepts or facts that are relevant to
the class. Learning is an active process, not a passive one, and your
involvement in these activities will help you understand the subject
better.In the process, you may learn
interpersonal skills that will serve you well in other contexts.If you prefer a class that allows you to
quietly sit back and take notes, I recommend that you find another professor.

A good learning environment is one
without distractions.Beepers, cellular
phones, and other devices that make noise are disruptive, and are not welcome
in class.If you have some unusual need
for such a device, please discuss its use with me.Other practices that may be disruptive and are disallowed from
class include such things as reading newspapers, books or other material
unrelated to the course; writing letters or notes to someone; or copying
someone’s class notes from days that you missed.Although I recommend that you obtain notes for days that you
missed, copying them during class disrupts those around you, it limits your
ability to pay attention during class, and I will ask you to refrain from doing
this during class.Please do this
outside of class, rather than during class.Likewise, I strongly discourage you from reading the text while you
are listening to the lecture.I
rarely lecture “from the book,” and I have found that the students who use this
technique do more poorly than those who keep their books closed during
lectures. Of course, I encourage you to ask questions and offer comments about
the text, but habitually reading from the text during class is associated with
lower exam performance. Use class time to focus on the lecture and activities,
and use your individual study time to review the text.

If class is canceled because of bad
weather or for some other reason, assume that we will continue with the
material when class resumes. You also should be prepared with the regularly
scheduled material when class resumes.If class is canceled on a day that an exam is scheduled, plan to take
the exam on the first day that class resumes. (Do you see the pattern here?)

It is both distracting and disrespectful
if you gather your things, close books, put on a jacket, etc., before class is
over.If you need to leave class early,
discuss this with me before class so that the disruption is minimal.

I reserve the right to change or add to
assignments, and to make changes to this syllabus, with adequate notice, for
good reason.I also reserve the right
to move students from one seat to another, and to dismiss students whom I
believe to be disruptive.

In sum, I expect you to treat your
classmates, our guest speakers, and me with respect and consideration. Although
you may not agree with someone, you should strive to phrase your view without
attacking that person. Students who find this to be too difficult will be asked
to leave so that others can enjoy the class.

Office
Hours

If you have any difficulty with the
course content, feel free to stop by my office during the hours indicated
above, or by special appointment. Particularly after the first exam, but well
before the last day to withdraw, be sure to see me if you are having problems.
The week of final exams is obviously not the time to get serious about the
course, so see me early. I am here to help! I use e-mail frequently, so you may
find it convenient to contact me via e-mail. I will respond to your e-mail as quickly
as I am able, usually within a few hours of receiving it.

Grading
Disputes

I strive to grade projects and exams
fairly and consistently. In order to ensure that each student’s work is graded
in accordance with standards that apply to the entire class, if you have a
question regarding a grade, you must meet with me within two weeks after the
work in question is graded. No exceptions will be made to this policy. If the
exam or assignment is re-scored, the entire exam or project will be graded
again. This means that your score may increase or decrease.

Study
Habits

A typical course load is considered to be
15 credit hours per semester. National accreditation committees--the people
whose "stamp of approval" gives meaning to a university degree--base this
on the assumption that students study at least two hours outside of class for
every hour that they are in class. I base
the course on this assumption. Thus, for a 3-hour class such as this, you
should expect to work at least 9 hours each week (3 hours in class, 6 hours
studying outside of class). Notice that a person who takes a standard, 15 hour
course load is committing to be involved in school 45 hours each week, which is
why 15 hours represents a full schedule--it is the equivalent of a full-time job,
plus overtime. Each day, you should devote at least two hours to studying for
this course. In order to be successful in this course, you should do the
following:

1.Read the assigned readings before we
discuss them in class. This way, you can ask questions when we are talking
about the material.

3.Reread the material following class. This
will help you improve your understanding of nuances you may have missed
earlier.

4.Spend at least 9 hours studying for this
class each week. Students who do this are much more likely to succeed than
students who do not do this!

5.Study consistently. Don't rely on
"cramming" to get you through the class. You will recall the material
better if you study every day.

6.Remember that learning is fun! Ask questions about the material as you study.
Become involved with the subject. Learning is exciting, and you are fortunate
to be in school. There are millions of people throughout the world who wish
they had the opportunity that you now have. Enjoy it, and take advantage of
your chance!

While we're on the subject, here's
something to think about. A colleague sent this to me, and although I do not
know the original source, I believe the statistics are sound. If we could, at
this time, shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people,
with all existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look like this:

The
village would be made up of 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 from the Western
Hemisphere

(both
North and South), and 8 Africans

70
would be non-white; 30 white

70
would be non-Christian; 30 Christian

6
people would control 50% of the entire wealth, and all 6 of them would be from
the U.S.

70
would be unable to read

50
would suffer from malnutrition

80
would live in substandard housing

1
would have a college education

As you can see, being in college is a rare privilege. Make good use of this
opportunity!

Tentative Schedule

The following schedule is an outline
listing the topics that we will discuss, and the order in which we will discuss
them. Be aware that this sequence may change in order to keep the class
schedule flexible so that we can meet with our guest speakers, etc. Note that
in order to know the details of the reading assignments, it is essential that
you attend class. I will make any announcements that are necessary at the
beginning of class.Such announcements
might be regarding the details of our reading assignments, schedule
modifications that might arise, or changes in exam dates. Be sure to ask a
classmate what you missed if you do happen to come late to class.

Remember, due dates for papers and
projects reflect the last day that they will be accepted. I welcome them any
time before the due date, and I strongly encourage you to submit them early.

Psychology
3231, Psychology of Religion, Fall 2000

I have received a copy of the syllabus
for Psychology 3231, Psychology of Religion.I have read the syllabus and have been offered an opportunity to ask
questions.I understand and agree to
the requirements in this syllabus. I also have considered the benefits of
academic honesty, and agree to the standards and procedures outlined in this
syllabus.